GRAS team completes Victorian Pool Crawl 2026

On Monday 6th April, four members of the GRAS team took part in the Victorian Pool Crawl 2026. Andrew Morgan, Catriona Wright, Estefanía Macchi and Lucy Mein joined fifty-seven other swimmers to raise money for Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities programme. The programme aims to tackle inequality by supporting those facing financial, health or disability barriers to physical activity.

The challenge was simple; swim one kilometre in each of Edinburgh Leisure’s five Victorian pools walking a total of 16km between them. Our day began with an early start at Dalry Swim Centre (1895) before the journey continued to Warrender Swim Centre (1887), Glenogle Swim Centre (1900), Leith Victoria Swim Centre (1899) and finishing in the sunshine at Portobello Swim Centre (1901). It was not only a physical challenge but also a fascinating journey through Edinburgh’s built Victorian heritage.

The Public Baths and Washhouses Act (1846) led to the development of public bathing facilities to improve public health and hygiene for all citizens. Following the introduction of the Act, public baths were established in Scotland from the 1850s. The baths were originally used as essential sanitary facilities but soon became very popular for recreational swimming. The Victorian pools remain important facilities for Edinburgh residents to this day and, as architects working in the built heritage sector, we recognise the importance of protecting these buildings for future generations.

The GRAS team joined forces with a group of Leith Victoria Swim Centre swimmers to form the ‘Leith Victorians’ and we were delighted to raise over £5,650. An impressive total of £35,141 has been raised so far by all sixty-one swimmers with the money going to the Active Communities programme.

We may have been exhausted by the end, with a few bad blisters, but we thoroughly enjoyed our day and would encourage others to sign up for the event in 2027! All four of us are very grateful to GRAS for their support in granting us the time through our Cultural Programming Allowance to undertake Corporate Social Responsibility activities. Further information about Edinburgh Leisure’s Activities programme can be found via the link below:  https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/active-communities/

Written by Catriona Wright